Rot Iron
by junuve
Summary: Do Grimoires get hungry? Nier finds out that Weiss, the very being who could save Yonah, has some pretty horrifying dinner habits. There will be blood and gore and general unpleasantness… kinda like the game! But also cute stuff, like Yonah and Dad quality time! A balanced diet.


Threads of black and red danced in his periphery as Nier steadied a dark lance. The flutter of pages behind slowed, each slip like a breath.

"Steady."

The book guided him.

"Look to your target."

He focused, feeling a thread forming between the lance tip and their prey—an unwitting herd of sheep. The blood magic attuned to that which also carried blood, or so the Grimoire said. He also said one could think of it like magnetism, just a lot more cursed.

Nier held his arm back behind his head, as if clutching a spear or a sling, the magic ready to release as soon as he let go. This was all to help the Grimoire Weiss judge when Nier wished to strike. If they worked together like this, it made the magic much more potent.

They waited long, Nier closely monitoring the herd. He was keen on timing the lance just right, and glad of the book's patience.

Breaths slowing to match the page turnings behind, Nier saw the moment approaching.

The sheep aligned. He swung his arm forward, and the lance shot out. A whorl of darkness then a spray of red, it ripped into the herd. The remnant of sheep scattered, leaving behind the wake of corpses.

"Fantastic! Looks like we'll fill our quota right away," Weiss chimed.

"That was the plan."

The two approached the carnage, Nier picking his way through the mess. The sheep were not rent asunder as he'd feared. The magic had knocked the life from their bodies with great force. Each sheep appeared to sleep peacefully, even as blood pooled from under them. As soon as the blood gathered, however, it began to disappear, siphoning into the book.

Nier flinched, watching the Grimoire's white pages flush as the drink deepened. In only a few moments, the streams arcing through the air all but vanished inside Weiss. He snapped shut with a sated groan.

Nier twisted his lips. He really didn't think he would get used to that. The logistics of it alone baffled him. How did this tiny thing process that much so swiftly? Where did it go? Then again, he wasn't sure how he floated or how he talked either.

When it came down to it, he really didn't know a damn thing about Weiss.

At least Nier wouldn't have to drain these carcasses. That was a plus.

The sun was high, and there weren't many predators on the plains, so he had plenty of time to carry out the hefty task of field dressing a host of sheep.

As soon as he slipped out his knife and set to cleaning and dismembering the creatures, the Grimoire ceased his rants on the weather and the pitfalls of aestheticism. The silence was a touch eerie. Nier wasn't used to being watched. Even so, the way the book tilted and turned and tracked his movements instilled in him a dread most primitive.

As he made his way through the flock, he gave the tome a tentative grimace.

"What?"

"Nothing…" Nier shrugged and went back to his work, the book floating even closer now.

Once finished, Nier deposited overflow in a cleft, away from any creature or passerby that'd attempt to spoil it. They could carry quite a load between themselves, but even so they had to take a couple trips to haul the sum total back.

Weiss complained the entire time, naturally. And he was kind of right when he called the work arduous and thankless. It _was_ hard work, but the heavy coin purse at the end of the job made it all worth it.

Medicine, supplies, and food procured, Nier turned homeward. He trudged up the grassy path on toward his lovely home on a hill. Noting the time, the man was surprised.

"That was pretty fast," Nier mentioned as they came to the dividing wall. He stopped long enough to dig around in his mailbox.

Weiss hummed. "For you it was swift, probably, but just wait until I have received again my full power."

Nier grinned. "Can't wait."

He gave the old door of the house a good shove to open it, welcomed home by the stuffy but cozy and warm interior. Quick to shrug off his weapons and stow his supplies away, he disappeared into the closet, returning in a loose-threaded shirt and pants.

Weiss scrutinized him. "I'm curious, why do you wear more clothes at home than when out?"

Nier squinted at the book as he unraveled his hair from its ties.

"I dunno." He ran his fingers through to check it before tying it up into a more concise bun.

"Sometimes I like to wear a shirt?" He raked his bangs back, not that that made them any less wild. "Does it matter?"

"Not particularly. I am merely attempting to understand you humans," Weiss shook himself, as if to shrug.

Nier raised a brow at that, but said no more before turning to grab a pot from the rack.

A strange peace settled over the home as Nier began to cook. The smell of boiling seasoned vegetables and the sizzling of meat filled the stone rooms.

Weiss asked if he needed any help, but Nier refused. He'd spent long enough today with the Grimoire breathing down his neck.

The book was oddly quiet thereafter, yet also attentive as he rested on the table. He leaned against a flowerpot, a gift from one of the ladies in town square, and tilted so that his facing could observe the kitchen. The dimness and the candlelight had turned his 'white' silver to bronze.

Nier diced the meats and vegetables finely, carefully proportioning and processing. He knew Yonah had spells where it was hard to keep things down. He probably fussed too much over it all, but he wasn't taking any chances.

The clattering of plates as Nier pulled them down stirred the book. Weiss got off the table to make room, monitoring Nier from above.

Nier finished up, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Be right back," he mentioned awkwardly to the tome.

Weiss mumbled an acknowledgment when the man brushed past.

As Nier drew up the stairs, his solid stance began to melt, and he took a moment on the landing to collect himself. The remaining flight he took softly, peering around the corner.

There she was in bed, her cap tossed aside, pale face like a jewel in the earthy folds of bedding.

Nier took a seat on the stool beside her, leaning in to get a better look. He saw on her nightstand how yet more of the flowers given to her were wilting, and raked the dried petals into his hand, depositing them back into the pot.

He glanced back to her, and gently took hold of her shoulder.

"Yonah."

She stirred with a soft sound, curling in the bed. He feared it was pain, but she opened her eyes and smiled sleepily, and the fear vanished.

"Hey, dad!" she was groggy, and a little raspy, but her bright tone came through all the same.

"Hey." He couldn't help but smile too. "Got dinner done."

"Really?" Yonah perked at that. "You cooked? You're staying home?"

"I did, and I am."

Yonah gasped in delight. "Dad's home!"

He nodded, pushing the twinge away of how he wished that this wasn't a big deal.

"Let's get down there before it gets cold."

The two came down the stairs, Nier steadying Yonah as she carefully took each step.

Once down, Yonah took a deep breath, consuming the aroma of a fresh meal, one which was properly cooked and not _burned_. But as she breathed again, she hitched with a cough. Her father's hands steadied her as she kept coughing. And… finally, the phantom of irritation left her throat, and the black letters danced away as if they'd never been.

Weiss was floating closely, and she gave him a small but determined greeting, "h-hey!"

"Miss Yonah," Weiss returned, bobbing forward as if to bow to her.

She giggled at that.

"Come on," Nier nudged her and moved forward.

Yonah helped set the table as best she could. Once done, she took up on a chair, swinging her legs idly as she waited on her dad to sit down.

At last, the two sat together to sup, a modest but genuine _meal_ setting before them.

Nier listened to Yonah talk about her day, about how she'd gone to the library with Popola and begun to read 'advanced books' on cool plants and animals. She'd even spotted a lizard on her journey back from the library. Yonah had, in her own words, won everyone's adoration by being able to identify the type of lizard and its 'sciencey name' on the spot. The child beamed, and Nier told her how proud he was.

Weiss could barely contain a groan.

_Learning about lizards…_ why were humans so fascinated with animals? They were clearly the inferior creatures. And pets… well, Weiss could go on about how pointless an exercise such as that was. But he held his metaphorical tongue. These two couldn't seem to afford spending quality time together often.

The book was perched on the shelves opposite of the pair, trying to stave the boredom of meal time by way of observation. He noted how their movements and table manners matched. They ate with gusto, but not sloppily or hastily. It was all very deliberate and sure.

It actually looked nice, this whole eating thing…

Nier noticed how Weiss loomed in the corner, a bit suddenly, and asked, "uh, wanna sit down?"

Weiss replied, "well, I didn't mean to intrude—"

"Intrude? You live with us now," Nier interrupted, "for better or worse."

Weiss tried to not roll his eyes at that and forced himself off the shelf, hovering over all while looking for a spot to alight.

"Oh!" Yonah piped up as he approached. "Do you want something?"

"Hm. Well…" the Grimoire lingered just over the table, giving the proposal a great deal of thought. He tried to recall…

Yonah seemed intrigued. "…wait, you actually eat?"

Had she not expected it?

Nier paused, mid-sip, "really?"

They both looked at him.

"No," Weiss' reply was sudden.

They exchanged looks.

"OK?" Nier said. "So you just eat blood, then."

"Weiss eats blood?!" This, of course, excited the child. "Do you have to dry it out to eat it?"

Nier side-eyed his daughter, a tad disturbed.

"No! No, no, I _drink_ it," Weiss corrected. "You cannot _eat_ blood. At least, I wouldn't think."

"Well," Yonah considered, "if you dry it out and—"

"Alright, this is getting weird," Nier tried to switch topics, "so, uh, you were saying about the lizards, Yonah?"

Weiss sighed.

"Oh, yeah!"

And Weiss had to endure more discussions of lizards, and even more horrifyingly, Nier abating Yonah's desires to keep one as a_ pet_.

Finally, Nier rose from the table, mercifully drawing the debate to a close. "No lizards. That's final."

Yonah sighed. "Daaad."

"Nope," he turned away from her. It was just too hard to say no to her face.

"Not even a little one?"

"No. For the last time."

"OK OK!" she finally gave up.

Weiss caught a smirk as Nier turned away. Well, at least someone was enjoying this nonsense.

Nier turned to the more somber matter of getting the medicine mixture ready. It should have been plenty long enough for the food to settle with Yonah.

"Oh, ew." Yonah picked up on the smell of what her dad had to concoct. "Is that the moss stuff again?"

"Yeah. Vapor moss, your favorite," Nier's humor was dry.

"Blech!" The girl wrinkled her face up.

Weiss averted his gaze as she went to drink the medicine. There was a swallowing, but then a gasp and a cough, as if the mixture had tried to come right back up. She cleared her throat.

"You got it?" Nier asked. "Popola said it'd taste better if I mixed it up with the berries."

"I-I think it's worse…" she struggled.

"I'm sorry."

"That's… that's OK," the young girl assured her father.

"Won't do it again."

She chased it with water, taking a minute to let the medicine settle down. Weiss was glad it was over. He felt so out of place…

"Bedtime," Nier announced, a tad sudden.

"Story time!" Yonah corrected, somehow standing to sound cheerful despite the ragged scratch to her voice.

Nier relented, "alright. Just a little bit. You need your rest after such a big day."

He scooped her up, the motion unbelievably gentle for someone so large. He turned to the stairs.

"What story are we on now?"

"Well, the last thing we…" Yonah's voice trailed off, "it was the one about the kid who was bored! And the dog that was a watch!"

"The _watch… dog_…" Nier spoke and it took a moment for things to click, "_wow_, that one hurts."

He shook his head.

Yonah giggled, amused at her father's agony.

The soft words melted away as they climbed up the stairwell. Weiss remained below, listening to the resonance of Nier's voice as it traveled through the floorboards.

After some time, the man returned. His face was a shade more somber than Weiss had ever seen before. Wasn't this time with his daughter supposed to make him happier? The man did not even speak a word to him, putting himself to bed. He laid there for some time, his breaths shallow, without sleep.

The village drifted well into its resting hours, where all should have been deep into slumber. Even Nier was at peace, eventually.

Yet it was during this time that Yonah heard… something… out her window. A shape turned to and fro, passing by the slits in the wall, its shadow streaking across her bed in a way she decided was_ annoying_.

She sat up.

Yonah had no time for monsters under the bed or ghosts out the windows. She was tired and cranky. Whatever this was would have to spook her some other time.

She got out of bed, marching over to the windows, her face wearing a deep scowl.

Outside there was indeterminable muttering, followed by incomprehensible grumbling. Snippets of the conversation lilted through the window slots. Yonah pieced together… something about needs? About Nier? Dad?!

She leaned closer, intrigue overtaking anger.

The voice sounded proper and punctual. Weiss?!

"Weissey?" Yonah poked her head out.

Weiss screeched, tumbling a few feet before he regained any composure.

Apparently she'd picked a window just behind him. Well, at least there wasn't a monster or shade outside! It was just a floating, talking, death spewing Grimoire!

Weiss drew back up level with the window ledge as if nothing had happened. Yonah smothered her laugh poorly.

"What is it, child?" Weiss growled.

"It's bedtime."

"Oh."

Yonah crossed her arms at him.

"It's…" He still wasn't used to this whole eternal daylight matter. "My apologies. Please get some rest." The book drifted away, going someplace less populated, perhaps.

"H-hey!" She wasn't done with him! Yonah leaned out the window.

Weiss sighed and backed it up, turning a little to inspect her. "What?"

She asked a deadly serious question, "were you playing pretend?"

Weiss just floated there, and then she could've sworn his weird silver eyes squinted at her. "Errr…"

"Well, you were talking, and no one was there."

Weiss cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. An exercise in… strategy. Indeed."

"Make believe is part of strategy?"

"…not entirely wrong."

Yonah rested her cheek in a hand, pursing her lips as she appraised Weiss with the sudden intensity only a child could manage. "You look sad."

He barely emoted at all, and yet she—

"Do you want a hug?"

Weiss jerked back. "No! No, I'm fine. Believe me."

She didn't believe him. Her skewed scowl showed that much.

"Well… I guess it's fine," Yonah remembered something, "I'm not really allowed to touch you."

Weiss tilted, and she was sure she saw his frown grow worse. "What kind of absurd rule is that?!"

"Dad says that you're like, evil magic or something. I might catch the voodoo."

"THAT IS SO-" Weiss lowered his volume. "That is so… so…!" Weiss pages were curling. He couldn't even continue speaking, the notion was that absurd! He was contracted to SAVE HER! Of all the ungrateful—

"I'm sorry," Yonah spoke, ignoring the wrath, "it's probably because you have black letters. They kinda look like mine…"

Weiss was speechless, the rush of anger dissipating. "It's not… I…" Somehow the text was speechless.

"Don't worry! I'll get better. You're gonna find a cure," Yonah was unrelentingly hopeful, "just gotta get all _your_ words back together again. Then I can get rid of my letters."

Weiss hung there a moment, stunned. "Y-yes. That's the plan."

"Yep." Yonah mentioned, "so, thanks… for helping my dad."

"Oh," Weiss' tone softened, "you're welcome."

"Yeah. He got to stay home because of you! I think you're helping him not work so hard."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He doesn't have many people who are willing to run off with him. Not since mom…" Yonah didn't finish the statement.

"Oh…"

She bounced back. "You're the best!"

"Er." Such kindness had the book at a loss. "You should go to… You need to rest. And please… promise not to speak of this to your father."

"Alright," she responded, "just stop messing around outside my window, OK? Its rude, you know."

"Of course," Weiss said, "good night, Miss Yonah."

"Good night, Mr. Weissey!"

He watched her return to her bed, lingering long enough to ensure that she stayed put.

_Mister Weissey._

Preposterous. He wasn't sure if that was better or worse than her father calling him just _Weiss_. What was wrong with these humans?

The Grimoire paused at the threshold of their residence, giving it a final glance before moving onward, toward the town square.

—

The next morning, Nier rose, hitting his head on his bedpost as he got up. Taking a minute to lounge and complain about this, he finally forced himself up properly.

He fumbled around for his pants and cast a glance over to the cleared off shelf, the designated domain of the Grimoire.

The book was missing.

He rubbed at his eyes and leaned, trying to see if the book had for some reason wedged himself into the back, perhaps for privacy. But no. Weiss was gone.

"Damn it," Nier muttered.

The two of them had trees to poke around, fishing to do, shades to kill, verses to unseal… or seal? How did sealed verses work, again?

He grumbled all the way to the well and back, continuing as he set fire to the stove, and even as he put on some tea. He wasn't mad, simply confused… and worried. Weiss hadn't mentioned leaving. He was always on that shelf in the morning, ready to air grievances. Maybe he was just late? What did he do at night? Why had Nier never thought of what Weiss did at night?

Nier's ruminations paused as he heard something approach. He pinpointed the source at the stairwell, and hurried over to the bottom, looking up at a small figure gingerly stepping down.

"Morning!" Yonah's voice was soft as usual, but a little scratchier too from waking up herself.

Nier walked up to meet her on the landing. He scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way.

"I can walk, daaad..." she complained.

"I know."

He smiled and hugged her. She hugged back with all her might, and the force surprised him. He imagined how strong she'd grow, and the worrying notion that she'd take after him.

If… if she—

He focused on what was at hand.

"You're up early."

"Yeah..."

Once down he set her on her feet and went ahead to the cupboards. She came over to help. They got into the supplies, thinking how to cobble something together. There were some peaches from yesterday's shopping trip, and some dried meats… this would suffice for a quick breakfast.

"So, what's gotten you up?" he asked as he cut up the fruit.

"I was talking to Weissey," she explained so casually.

"Oh?"

"He was floating outside my window, going back and forth," she said, fiddling with the meat he'd put down on the table, trying to figure out how to eat it.

Nier frowned, handing her some peach slices too.

"What was he doing?"

Yonah tipped her head, puzzling it out as she took a bite and continued. "He was... having an argument, but I didn't see anyone else, I thought maybe he was pretending to have a conversation."

Nier huffed. Damn book waking up his daughter. It was hard enough for her to rest. He took a bite of meat, chewing out his frustrations.

_Oh no..._ what if Weiss was casting voodoo on her?

Nah, that was stupid.

_But, what if…_

"What was he saying?" He poured her some tea.

"He said your name. And he was explaining something about 'needs', but he kept getting quiet and then he'd start over." She then added randomly, "he looks cool."

What? Nier furrowed his brow and took a sip of tea. Weiss was talking to 'him' about needs?

"I asked Weiss what he was doing, and he did a flip!" She was oh-so amused. "He even screamed too! I got him good."

Nier made a face. How had he not heard that?

"He told me to keep it a secret. But he didn't make me pinky swear so I can tell you," Yonah explained her logic with confidence.

Nier set his tea down, gesturing to emphasize his point. "Never pinky swear with a magic book, Yonah. And especially not to keep secrets. People are real tricky, especially magical people."

Yonah grumbled herself, "I knooow! I won't keep secrets."

"Good."

He took a big bite of the peach, punctuating the point.

"Hey. I just remembered. Can you hug Weissey?"

His train of thought wrecked, and he spat out a little fruit. "Wh-why?"

"He looked like he needed a hug. But you told me not to touch him. I said I'd ask you to hug him. He said he didn't need one but Devola always tells me that that's just code for '_I need a hug really really bad_'. Can you hug Weissey, dad?"

Nier was just trying to process this all.

First of all, that was just so darn endearing. Second of all, why was Weiss practicing talking to him? What could that pompous pamphlet possibly have to say that he wouldn't say it to his face? Third of all, he wasn't hugging a goddamn book.

"Um," Yonah leaned forward, blinking, wondering why he father's face was so taut in concentration.

Nier snapped to. "Sorry. Was thinking."

"About…?"

"Oh, nothing. Some errands? Yep."

She shrugged and drank some tea.

"So, uh…" Nier began awkwardly, waiting and hoping the book would just appear again. He really didn't want to go looking, but if Weiss didn't turn up soon…

He just kept eating his peach.

Yonah drummed her knuckles on the table top. "Mmm, oh! I had another dream! You know the one with the pink cloud?"

"Uh…" Nier grasped for a memory.

"The one we're riding on!"

He nodded. He had no idea.

"Well, this time it was BLUE! And we did way more flips too. It was really cool! Then some big voice in the sky started lecturing us about cloud safety, and it was really boring, which I think was Weissey waking me up."

"Mhm. That sounds fun…" Nier took another sip. "Devola's coming over today, right?"

"Yep! She's gonna let me play on her lute some more," Yonah really emphasized the vowel sound in lute. He wasn't sure if she liked playing so much as saying it. "I'm also learning a song to sing! One day I'll sing it to you! Right now, though, it's really 'sharp'. I don't remember what that means. But I'll find out again."

"I bet it'll be just right when you're done," Nier said with confidence.

He finished off his tea and made sure Yonah was finished and set before he embarked on his search. He pestered her, making sure her hair was combed and her clothes fresh.

She gave him a thumbs up, the sign that everything was fine, if only to stop the badgering. He returned the gesture.

"I'll be back soon," he said.

"Today?"

"Count on it."

With that, he donned his traveling gear and stormed the village, scouting around for any small, flitting thing. The only things he saw which fit into that bracket were birds and lizards. He spied a particularly pretty reptile on his way. Maybe that was the same little lizard Yonah had seen? It was green and flecked, just like she'd described.

He bothered just about everyone on his way toward the market, accosting the old men and women as they huddled around town square.

He turned to Devola as she tuned her instrument by the fountain. All he got from her was, "Grimoire Weiss?" and then a laugh. She didn't say anymore and went back to tuning.

Nier gave her a very cross look.

"OK, look," Devola leveled with him, "he's just been… causing trouble this morning. I don't really know where he is right now, and Popola doesn't either. She's been couped up all day. He could be anywhere, Nier. Last I heard, though, he was in the marketplace, but…" Devola shrugged.

Nier nodded, and thanked her. It was at least _something_.

As he strolled through the main street, he inquired to each and every stall. One of the vendors immediately perked as he mentioned 'a flying book'.

"Yes!" the old woman slapped her display table with such force the whole thing shook, threatening to collapse. "I did encounter him. He _touched_ everything in my shop!"

"Touched?" Nier was confused.

"Yes. I was watching him flying over the main street, trying to make sure he didn't come over and attack me. Then, suddenly, he turned on MY stand and came over, like he KNEW." She pointed an accusatory finger. "He scared off all my customers. And then, as I was telling him to leave, he… I don't know how… but he made all my fruit float!"

Nier tipped his head. This was new.

"You should have heard the screams. And then he set it all back down the _opposite_ side up! And he laughed! Then he flew off into the sky!" She gestured wildly. "Now no one will buy my fruit because they think it's CURSED."

Nier didn't really know what to say. It was actually kinda funny…

"Nier!" She pointed at him, as if to scold. He stopped smiling. "I hope you know what you're doing. That book is dangerous!"

Wasn't everyone supposed to like Weiss? Wasn't he a legend…?

"Er, sorry about the fruit." Nier scratched at his neck. "But he's not cursed. So… it's safe to eat."

"Not cursed that you know of!" she tacked on.

He didn't appreciate that. "Hey."

The older woman relented, "its just been a _morning_."

Nier nodded and departed before tensions could rise any higher. He also couldn't help but smirk. Weiss was sure leaving a good impression on the townsfolk…

He stopped by the fountain, asking the ladies and the other people clustered around if they'd seen a floating book by chance.

"Yeah, yeah, _the book_," a man spoke up. "I think it called itself _Gizzard Vines_."

"I'm absolutely sure that's not his name," Nier said.

The other man shrugged. "If you say so."

"What was he doing?" Nier asked.

"He was in the fountain!" The man clasped his knees and leaned forward, as if speaking of the most heinous of crimes. "There were people clamoring all morning. No one could get any water here."

"So he was just… at the fountain?"

"No. _In_ it," the peeved man made a distinction, "he was floating around in there like it was a bath or something. And if you got too close he'd nail you with spout of water, the little fiend!"

Nier tried to disguise a grin by rubbing at his nose. He had no idea Weiss was so… impish. But honestly, it was easy to envision the tome taking great joy in being a pest.

There was something wonderfully cathartic about seeing other people having to deal with this crap.

"Whatever this book is you need to keep it on a shelf, or something!"

Nier nodded. "Can do." And turned before they could see the grin spreading on his lips.

Still, it wouldn't do to have a book on the loose terrorizing his home town. Weiss needed to calm down, or get a hobby. Something.

Yonah's bedtime story began to surface in Nier's mind. He recalled how the watch dog had gone rabid when the protagonist child had remarked about _wasting_, and_ killing_, time.

Weiss was severely bored, just like the kid in that story, and just like in the book, he was getting into all sorts of troubles for it. He was sure that Devola and Popola would have to kick him out if he kept it up.

Nier resolved to ask the guards at the gates if they'd seen anything next. It was only until the east gate that he got a tidbit.

"A book? Flying? Yeah..." The guard shared a worried grimace. "It... its yours right? It's not going to... do anything, is it?" He rubbed his gloves together.

"Whhhy?" Nier hesitated. What now?

The other guardsman on duty rolled his eyes.

"Well it..." the first guard was shifty, as if he didn't want to speak this aloud, "it-it… it _booed_ at me."

"Booed at you?"

"Yes!"

Nier put his hands on his hips, casting a glance down at the ground and inhaling deeply. It took all his might to not laugh.

"It flew by last night and told us to open the gate."

"And why didn't you open the gate?" Nier leveled the simple question.

"Because its… a flying book?!" the guardsman gave a weak excuse.

"Wouldn't you want to let him out if he scares you so bad?" It only seemed logical.

The guard stuttered, "w-well I wasn't sure. It-it belongs to you, right? I didn't want to let your book get away!"

"He's not a pet. Weiss is a partner," Nier corrected, a bit gruff, "also a he. Not an it."

"Oh." The guard gave him an unsure look, as if he'd incur Nier's wrath with one wrong move.

Nier sighed. He'd never done anything to engender fear... except kill scores of shades, but that wasn't bad. That was good.

The other guardsman massaged his temples.

"So, Weiss went out this way?" Nier gestured to the gate.

"Yeah... out into the cascades," the first guard confirmed, "after he booed at me, he just floated way up and shot over. My question is why he didn't do that to begin with?!"

Nier sighed. "Because he likes being treated like a civilized person?"

"Oh..." The guard scratched at his scalp sheepishly.

"Next time just open the gate?"

"Yeah."

The guards acquiesced to Nier's request of passage, working hard to guide the gates open.

Once out of the village, Nier set off through the thickets at a brisk pace. The more time dallying, the further Weiss could roam. Nier wasn't about to let this white book get away. He'd chase him down to hell and all the way back. But Nier was sure Weiss had no illusions about this, which made it so curious why he'd gone so far without a word.

Could Weiss be… in trouble? Nier hadn't thought much about the weaknesses of a Grimoire. Although, he wasn't immune. Weiss had been imprisoned by those armored shades, and Nier had managed to cut most of his memories from him with a simple sword…

Nier pushed the worrying aside and focused on the hunt. Of course, tracking a magic book was something he was certain no one had experience in. He ended up wandering around, scouting through the nooks of the forest canyon, systematically as possible.

He found many goats, a mouse scampered by him once. He traveled to and fro, crossing over the little brook flowing in the center a couple times, taking care to not wet his wool-lined clothing.

The brook softly played upon the smooth stones, a pleasant rushing sound, more soothing than the winds tussling the foliage.

But a new sound faintly joined the scape. It was… sharp and bizarre. It didn't belong.

There was a sour scent on the air.

_Shades?_

He could swear he heard their twisted murmurings, and readied his blade.

Something drew him closer, further into the canyon, into deeper thickets. He paused collecting himself. What the hell was happening? It was like he was a compass. Something compelled his bones to move... that way.

So he did.

Nier forced himself to stop again. He muttered to himself. He had to go on, but he had to make sure his guard was up. Whatever the hell was going on wasn't natural in the slightest. This wasn't instinct, it was a pull.

But he couldn't just turn his back on it, no matter how odd. Truly, if anywhere was to have Weiss, it would be the place which oozed foreboding.

And if they were shades alone, then it'd be Nier that would be able to defeat them. Shadeslaying was his specialty, in a sense.

More sounds erupted up ahead. The smell was ungodly, but Nier kept going onward, steps halted only by his determination to not rush forth into the sickening cloud.

Why the HELL did he want to run INTO this, anyway!?

He marched instead, making a point to this unseen force. He'd do it his way.

A terrible crunching sound wracked the canyon walls, infiltrating every unscathed thing. Nier's hair stood up.

Moaning. Inarticulate whispers. The haunting sound of… magic.

He parted the thicket, sword point forward, his teeth bared.

Gore glimmered in sunlight. Mangled carcasses of animals were strewn about. A flock slaughtered, viscera coiling at his feet. He felt moisture sponge from the ground. He cared not to glance down, he only wished he'd bought those enclosed shoes when he had the chance.

The smell was overwhelming, and even as Nier steeled himself, covering his face, he could scarcely breath.

Decay encompassing.

Blood pooled up.

Rot…

Iron…

Nier scoured the clearing, seeking the shades, or whatever had done this. He saw a dancing motion, honing in upon it. Spires of darkness protruded from the animals skins like teeth.

Magic…

A Grimoire…

The snapping sound started up again. The book was… consuming them. In the middle of the clearing, tendrils of dark fanned out like veins. Each lashed around a carcass, constricting and cleaving flesh from bone. Blood serpented into the book. But not just liquid entered him anymore, he was drawing lumps of _flesh_ into himself.

Weiss made wretched noises. He was utterly drenched, red ruby bright.

"Weiss?"

Nier took a step back. He turned. And before he could react the tendrils were now hovering over his skin.

Nier inhaled, but stood still, firm. He held his ground though his body begged to flee.

He stared dead on at the pages of the book, textured, matted with tissues from the feast.

The darkness touched upon Nier, alighting on his skin like so many needles. Nier felt nothing, yet blood drew from the pricks, trickling red.

"WEISS!"

It was at this point he realized he probably shouldn't have sworn an oath to this being.

_But Yonah..._

Resolve filled Nier, exuded, even. He judged the gap between him and the book, and readied his strike. He didn't know what else to do.

He leapt forward, the tendrils biting into his body, peeling skin into ribbons. The pain was immeasurably worse than anything he'd experienced. He didn't land the hit. He fell to the ground, writhing. A halting scream escaped him, and he clutched his mouth, nausea overpowering.

A raw gasp slipped from Weiss and the spells fell away. Weiss shut, a wet sound, sending droplets out.

"Nier!?"

The man grunted. He could barely speak. He could scarcely move. That was a lot of… blood. Was that… his…?

Oh…

The lightness in his limbs didn't bode well. And his mind failed to command his body to get off this spoiled ground.

He was so… so very tired.

A little rest…

Just…

Through lidded eyes he watched as red letters danced on his skin. Rivulets of red wormed back inside, his skin torn, knitting together. The haze was clearing, and he could feel his heart rushing again, his limbs strengthening. The electric power of magic woven through his nerves, through his muscles, warming him.

Nier came to, drawing back across the clearing, gasping, and clambering to his feet. He crouched, turning on Weiss.

For a minute, he could scarcely form a coherent word.

Finally, his tongue began to work once more, "wh-what the hell d-d-did you do to me!?"

The red letters… if they'd been black they'd have looked like—

An unwelcome hollowness inhabited Nier.

"I don't l-like that," he remarked at the scrawling letters spilling off of Weiss as the flesh caked to him disappeared, consumed.

"You'd like bleeding to death a lot less," Weiss snapped, though his pitch was strained. "Be glad I… well, you're lucky it stopped."

Lucky?

"Were you…" Nier took a moment, blinking. "Were you gonna eat me!?"

"No."

A simple answer for a florid book. Nier tightened his grip on his sword.

"You took my blood."

"And I just gave it back," Weiss said, exasperated. "Shouldn't you be pleased by such a miracle of magic?! I even annihilated any pathogens that tried to enter you! You're welcome!"

Nier shook his head, grimacing at how his hair stuck to him. "I nearly-You nearly killed me!"

"It's a powerful spell," the response was so cryptic.

"What kind of spell _does that_?"

"An," Weiss searched, "…eating spell."

"YOU WERE GOING TO EAT ME!"

"OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Weiss blustered, opening slightly. Nier saw something drip out. Strings of… something… eked out of the tome as he floated there.

"Ergh, I…" the book paused, focusing hard to digest the material, each strand fizzling into a torrent of ruddy letters.

Nier gaped at the process, looking to and fro, from Weiss' smeared face and the dissolving flesh and back.

"Go ahead!" Weiss dared, "gawk."

Nier was still, his stomach turning. "Uhn." He swallowed, hard.

"See how monstrous I really am?" The book sounded so… bored.

No. Not bored.

_Worn._

Nier didn't know what to say.

"Weiss."

"Must you always be so informal?" that fuss was almost welcome in lieu of this upsetting event.

Nier shook his head. He stood up straight, carefully, yet dizzily. He staggered, nearly falling into the spoiled meats below, yet again. But a dark hand caught him by a strap. He tensed at this, keeping his sword low, even though his muscles ached and his nature told him to relieve this creature of its 'arm'.

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to bludgeon me to death again," Weiss commented as he let Nier find his balance.

"…I am too."

Weiss scoffed at that. "I told you. I have unholy magic. I am an unholy book." He drifted away, using whatever spell it was to absorb the carrion. The clearing was cleaning up, bit by bit. "You really shouldn't poke around so much. See what trouble it gets you into?"

Nier choked down his nausea, staring intently at the book.

"Sad what Grimoires must partake in to survived, eh? But every living thing has sour needs..."

Nier wasn't sure what the hell he was supposed to do, if he was supposed to do anything. This was overwhelming. He was also overwhelmed by the stench, too. That hadn't gone away.

But leaving felt… wrong.

"Weiss."

The book hung there, intent on him now. "Hold still."

Nier felt the crackling, dried sensation leaving his skin. His throat tightened as his hair cleaned up, growing light and flowing once more. He inspected himself, and the smears were disappearing, vanishing with the spell.

"So, is it clear now? I'm not an evil voodoo book that's going to eat you and your daughter. I am a Grimoire of my word."

"Yeah. I just…" Nier started and stopped, fumbling his speech. He wasn't sure he could capture how weird this was. So he changed topics, "there was an… an, uh, sense urging me here. Was that like, a lure?"

"Lure?" Weiss tipped. "What are you talking about?"

"It was like I was being led here. Specifically." Nier explained, "like I _wanted_ to come."

Weiss made a pondering sound, but said nothing.

"Was that another spell?" Nier prodded.

"I'm afraid not."

"Afraid…?"

"It's much worse than that. Empathetic magic connections and whatnot," Weiss forced himself into a relaxed tone and cadence. "Please be on your way. I'll return in short time. Don't worry so much about me. You've enough to grow old over."

"You can't just expect me to-"

Weiss cut him short. "I'm not _expecting_." And left it at that.

Nier gaped a little. "I see," his voice steeled.

He sheathed his sword.

Weiss waited.

Nier just stood there.

"Would you PLEASE?! I can't—not with you staring—" the book grumbled, and then batted at him with a, "begone!"

Nier frowned, remaining still.

"You stubborn man."

Nier crossed his arms.

"Oh, for the love of…" Weiss whispered.

Nier gestured to the meat strewn about, "why not cook it?"

Weiss, though he couldn't show it, gave off an impulse so grieved Nier felt his own chest weigh down. Yep. There was definitely a voodoo connection.

"I wish..." Weiss admitted, "but the more miserable in quality it is, the better. 'Tis why I slaughtered these, I'd wager a day or so ago, and return to them only now."

"Why?" Nier inquired with incredulity. "How the hell does that make sense?"

Weiss rounded. "How should I know?! I asked not to be created, same as you, and yet I _exist_. I don't know why it was ordained for me to have such needs, such desires. But… well, here we are."

Nier hadn't expected that level of honesty, or existentialism. "Oh..."

"Believe me, I've been resisting a while, but my-" he laughed humorlessly. "A body knows what it wants."

"You were hungry all this time?" Some recent behaviors began to make sense to Nier.

"I wager the nature of my metabolism is foreign to what you understand."

"You eat meat. And you understand that this," he pointed at the fly-bitten carcass, "is rotten."

Weiss hummed at that point. "Doesn't matter at the end, does it?"

Nier pursed his lips, but couldn't think of anything to say. He wished he could do SOMETHING. The misery was palpable.

"Please, leave me be," Weiss sounded so pleading.

Nier gave the surrounding viscera a glance.

"It looked like you were having trouble eating that in such large chunks. I can show you how to divide it up better."

Weiss scoffed, but gently, as if surprised.

"I understand the function that is eating, thank you very much. I don't need my food processed." Weiss shook himself, his voice trailing off, "I'm not that old..."

Nier couldn't help but grin a touch.

"I wasn't saying you were old, Weiss. I was saying from the looks of things, you never got a proper lesson on carving... or do they teach that as part of the arcane arts?"

"I... well fine," Weiss admitted, "I've never carved a deer. I've only watched you with the sheep. And even then I was," Weiss sighed sharply, "_distracted_."

"It's no good working on an empty stomach," Nier knew this well.

Weiss grumbled.

Nier set about taking the least mangled of the corpses and tried to show Weiss how it was done. The stuff was absolutely putrid, so he wore gloves over his forearm shielding, and worked more carefully. Weiss assured him that he'd not let any disease befall him, but that didn't help how grotesque this was.

Weiss, luckily for Nier, was quick to learn, but physically mastering techniques proved to be the real challenge. Even with his handle of floaty voodoo crap (_telekinesis_, Nier was told), not having physical hands was a huge issue. Thankfully he had the dark hands.

"Give me your hand."

"Beg your p-pardon?"

"Make a magic hand," Nier demanded.

Weiss acquiesced, generating a dark, clawed appendage. It was quite small compared to normal, only slightly bigger than Nier's own arm.

Weiss was tense, but allowed Nier to take hold of the magic. Nier held the back of the dark hand with his own. It was like holding something akin to water but not getting wet. The sensation was pretty freaky, but wasn't as unpleasant as he feared, and compared to the reeking corpses, absolutely clement.

Teaching Weiss like this was almost fun, in a sense.

"Steady…"

He could hear the pages softly turning. The sound wasn't crisp, but wet. But for some reason, Nier didn't care anymore.

"Look here."

He gestured to the anatomy of the creature, one left untangled mostly, and noted how to judge its dividing lines. Where to peel, where to loosen, where to go slow, and where to push. At first it was painful seeing Weiss bumble about, muttering, unable to get over himself and just do it. But as they kept at it, frustrating as it was, Nier saw those weird, warbling claws of his become more confident.

They finished up, and Nier couldn't hide how pleased he was.

"See? Look at this! Proper hunter work. Not like a wild animal tore through a sack of garbage," he remarked at the somewhat neat part of the clearing. The rest of it was still a bloody hell scape.

Weiss turned to him, disapproving. "Well, we can't all be experienced hunters, can we?"

Nier shrugged, and attempting to console the book, "I did my fair share of crapping up kills. Don't worry about. Just… don't do this again. Anyone who comes through here's gonna think there was some kind of blood cult ritual going on."

Weiss chuckled dryly at that. "Pity the man…"

Once they'd put away the disgusting meat (mostly consisting of Weiss consuming it, and educating Nier in grand detail about this Feast spell to assuage fears) they set their sights homeward. Nier had to go make sure his daughter hadn't adopted a lizard, after all.

However, a bathing was in order. Absolutely filthy, the two washed off in the neighboring stream. Thankfully, Nier had been cleaned prior thanks to Weiss's spell, so it was mostly just his arms and his treated leathers. Weiss offered to get the rest of it for him, but Nier wasn't sure he wanted to experience the sensation of _being Weiss' plate_ again. It was all weird and tingly…

As he beat his arm guards a bit on the rocks, just to make sure nothing had latched on, he noticed Weiss' thrashing in the stream. Amusingly enough, the book bathed like a bird, fanning his pages in the water, dunking, and repeating.

For a second Nier remembered how bizarre his new companion was. He hadn't even thought about it when he was teaching Weiss. The differences had all fallen by the wayside. And that's where they belonged, Nier decided.

Maybe he did know a thing about Grimoire Weiss? He certainly knew how he ate.

Nier put back on his arm guards, tightening the straps so that they fit snug, and secured his shield.

"So," Nier began as they left the clearing, heading back through the canyon, "I heard you took a dip in the fountain? Never thought books liked water."

"Oh? Ah," Weiss recalled, "I was terribly bored, you see, and simply passing time. And then those villagers all came over and began squawking at me. The nerve! Deserved every jet of water I sent their way."

"Weird way to pass time, but OK," Nier said.

"Well, it's just unbearably dull when you're asleep," Weiss complained, "four to eight hours wasted, every cycle!"

"But surely pestering the old fruit lady wasn't necessary?" Nier teased the book.

He watched Weiss rise, literally, into the air a foot as he ranted, "she was pointing at me. Calling me a cookbook. I was just having a stroll in the market!" He calmed down a step, floating again at eye-level with Nier. "The nerve of some humans. Her fruits are bruised and lumpy, anyway."

Weiss seemed to care a whole lot about what people thought of him, Nier noted.

"And would you BELIEVE that the guards wouldn't allow me to pass through the gates?" Weiss turned to Nier. "They just stood there, like imbeciles, in a stupor!"

"So you spooked them?" Nier asked, biting back a chuckle.

"Yes! I did," he sounded so satisfied with himself, "they deserved that too!"

"I guess so," Nier agreed, "they _were_ pretty rude." And he meant it.

"Indeed…"

They traveled quietly, Nier navigating the rolling landscape with a familiarized ease. In the serenity, the wind and brook rolled by, the sounds disparate yet harmonizing. Nier heard birds, songbirds, and inclined his ear. It was rarer and rarer an occurrence, and a damn shame too. He didn't want to sound sappy, but to him they were some of the loveliest sounds one could hear in the wilderness. The faint echo of the canyon made it all the more lovely.

"I wouldn't have eaten you," the topic was broached casually, and abruptly.

Nier paused physically, and the Grimoire shot a little long of him.

"Uh. Good." Nier nodded, continuing to walk forward. "That's… good."

Weiss continued beside him as well. "I tasted you. That's why I stopped whe-"

"Wait," Nier interjected, "you _tasted_ me?"

"Yes?"

"When have you tasted my blood?" Nier furrowed his brow.

Weiss smirked. "Paper cut."

"Really?" Nier was surprised. "I thought maybe when I'd gotten hit or something."

"I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate me lapping your blood off the floor orr directly off of you, for that matter," Weiss said.

"True," Nier conceded, "still. Papercut amount isn't a lot to go off of."

"I actually have a very sensitive palate!" For some reason, Weiss was proud of this, despite the fact that he apparently preferred putrid meat as a meal, by his own admission, no less.

"Good… to know?" Nier feigned a pleasant smile.

Weiss chuckled. "You don't scare easily, do you?"

Nier shook his head. "Guess not."

He didn't mind all this, not really. Part of Nier was revolted, sure, just like any human would be. But If Popola and Devola were right, this book could cure Yonah. He would put up with any voodoo nonsense to save her. Besides, Weiss was a lot more human than most people he met these days. It was fun having someone else around…

Nier had long ago decided that _everyone_ was weird.

"You're my partner, Weiss. Better or worse," Nier resolved, "you don't have to hide anything from me."

Weiss took a moment, as if he considered much about this statement. The town's eastern gates came into view as he mulled it over.

"Well that's very... touching," Weiss spoke once more.

"It's principle." Nier nodded, drawing close to the gates. "You know what they say, secrecy breeds fear."

"...this is most often true" Weiss agreed, and wondered who the 'they' was that said this.

"Thank you."

Nier paused, unsure how that directly fit into the conversation.

"You're… welcome?"

Weiss bobbed slightly, a strikingly merry motion, and pulled ahead a ways, heading directly for the gates. Nier could've sworn there was a smile in his decorations.

What a weird book…

…

_Wait, what was he up to? _

A shrill scream came from behind the gates, answering that question. Nier started, and then realized what that little curmudgeon had done. Nier hung his head and sighed.

Time to go apologize…

* * *

AN: One of the reasons I adore Nier as a character so much is how much he loves and accepts his disparate and bizarre party members. Because of the nature of the game we don't get a moment like that for Weiss really, so I thought it would be fun to explore a what-if of such a scenario. I would like to think Grimoires are just far more cursed than we ever get to experience in game. Anyway, please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


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